Pine Close Mummies

cat_tail, thank you.

mesh, thank you too. We registered Macpherson Primary for our son. Many opts for Stamford Primary & Eunos too. We dare not try Tanjong Katong as need balloting again.

The problem with Macpherson Primary are with many foreigners, mostly from Nepal. Because it's near to the Camp at Aljunied (near cemetry). The camp mean for 'Baku' or something like that..
 


Jen, foreigner also good mah... your boy will become more accustomed to talking to foreigners and more globalised in outlook. also having nepalese friends may be blessing when he goes nepal for holidays next time. a colleague did NS with nepalese leh..... and became good frens with him..... when he went nepal... he had a personal guide leh.... good mah.
 
yes, a pasar malam here will be good.... we used to go down for ramly every nite during the last pasar malam.... yummy.
 
Hi,

I'm new here and I stayed in Pine Close too. I need advise from mumnies regarding to send my 2yrs old twin gals to childcare or chen Li kindergarten.

I went to 2 cc opn house - Little Skool House Internation and ChildFirst. But seems like all cc in mountbatten are so ex!

Appreciate your advise.
 
Mickey

There are some other selections. You just happened to see those premium ones.

Around our area, there are a couple of choices for you to consider. You also need to determine if you want a full day child care or just few hrs type

Child care that i can think of :
LSH
Child First
YuQuan
Young Talent
MFS
Cheri Hearts

3-4 hrs type :
Chen Li
Chiltern House
PCF

Good luck !
 
Thanks Ginger,

The problem is childcare vs kindergarten. Can't decide which is better. I have a maid & elderly MIL at home but am concern if my maid able to cope with 2 active gals & housework that's why i am considering CC.

Wonder which CC is value for money where it is not too ex! Everything i have to pay is double!
Btw what is LSH & MFS? How abt Cherie Hearts?

Thanks for your advise.
 
Personally I think if you have people you trust helping to pick up to and fro, Chen Li is a better choice.

Value for money - what is the definition? Depending on your budget lor.

Cherie Heart should be the same fee range as LSH (little skool house)

MFS (my first skool) & Young talents are the "affordable" ones in our area.
 
I heard that by putting them in childcare, children benefit more? eg more independent & learn more rather than the 3hrs in kundergarten.

In fact, i prefer Chen Li & spoken to principal but then my block is a bit walking distance to there and if 1 maid to bring 2 young kids, I'm not sure if she can cope & ended i may have to cater bus for them.

And becos of maid require to do hsework & cook, I'm not sure that she will be able to look after my 2 girls in the afternoon after the class in chen li. That's y I'm considering cc as another option.

Do you send your child to cc? which one? I'm actually considering cherie Hearts or LSH as both are nearest to my block.

Any comment on cherie hearts?
 
Hee...mine at MFS (the affordable ones)

It really depends on your expectation. What do you expect the centre to deliver and what do you want your gals to do?

There were some bad reviews on MFS and Young talents before but there are still parents sending their kids there. And some you could see parents driving big cars. They can easily afford a premium ones but why at MFS and young talents.

I went Cherie Heart but I didnt like it. The first impression the chinese mainland teacher gave me was not so professional for a premium centre.

If you have the time, go visit them and see their environments. Our reviews may not different from what you have seen and experience as different people has different expectations.
 
Hi all!

Please note that PCF is having an open house on 01 Oct 2011 (Sat). There will be games/snacks there too!
 
hi, can i check what enrichment do your kids do in school and outside and how much per enrichment?

we've never signed my kids for any enrichment except for the speech and drama in school and i feel so bad when i hear of frens who talk abot this and that enrichment.... feel like i'm short changing them... so guilty, though its more due to time than monetary.
 
wrt to the childcare centers... i think its not fair to listen to other's experiences and base your decision on them. you should try to visit any center that interest you and make your own decision. my bad experience with any center may not mean that the center is not good... its also depending on parent's expectations and standards. so do take teh time to visit and talk to the principal and teachers. try to visit during day time weekdays so that you can see the center in action.
 
Yes agree with Mesh. I have also heard bad reviews on those so called premium centres. So parents need to go and experience rather than based on pure reviews.
 
Thanks mesh & ginger,

I have spoken to a 3 cc's principle. Of course they talked very well and sell their center during the open house. Wonder do they really 'practise' what they preach? From what i gathered, seems more or less they are similarity in some ways...
 
Can anyone advise me regarding the deduction of $300 for a FTWM. How does it work? What if I quit my job end of the month & needed a 1mth break before i start the new job, will i still be entitle for the $300 deduction? do i need to declare that too?
 
Mickey, you can call MCYS and check? You need to fill up a form to get the $300 entitlement and I believe MCYS does check.

I guess if you resign, the entitlement will stop and they will do pro-rate calculation.
 
Ginger, mine dont have much... only chinese and eng speech and drama.

how come MFS have so many? then the teachers no need teach already?... keke.... what do they have in the 5? so u don't need do enrichment on weekends already which is good, cos weekends are so short.
 
Mesh,

For their enrichments, they only start from 4-6pm depending on which class.

Yes i like MFS due to the fact that they have these affordable enrichments that I cant get elsewhere. Thats why until now i still stay put no matter how bad the reviews are..haha

they have music which I didnt enrol him, english (focus more on moral education), science, chinese s&d and arts.

I hope they remain the same cos they have a new principal and my younger gal is now there.
 
ginger
Your children's MFS is at Mountbatthen's? They just changed principal recently? Just out of curiosity & to have a feel what's the market rate of enrichment class in cc, how much is their ave enrichment fees?

as long as children are happy there and meets your expectation, that's more important
happy.gif
 
mesh
if you r looking for chinese enrichment, can consider Berries since they have one at Mountbatten CC.

I'm looking around for some reading/phonic class for my 4yr old boy. any recommendations?
 
BbEthan

Jasmine the principal was posted to Marine Parade's branch and the new one came onboard around last Nov. Well, not really new la.

Jen's son is attending phonic class at the CC, you can ask her for review.
 
Ginger, I also want to know the market rate for enrichments.... do u mind to share how much u spend per month for each enrichment in MFS? wah.. the 5 enrichment like cover everything already..

bbethan, i'm thinking of berries.. will check out their schedule cos my kids don't speak mandarin at home. thou they have recently got interested in mandarin ..... keep asking me to speak to them in mandarin.... so i thought better hit the iron while its hot.

bbethan.. where do u stay anyway... ahve we met at the playgroupnds before? your son same age as mine.. .4yo.
 
mesh
Have not met before. but i do remember one of the mummies here ever mentioned about playground gatherings when i collected some stuff from her
happy.gif
i'm actually staying at dakota side.
 
I don't get to see the bills as they are all thru giro deduction. But I remember its in the $60 range per month per enrichment. How much you paid for at young talent, Mesh?

Not sure if its more expensive for other premiums centres. Hopefully other mummies can share.
 
i paid $50 for music class using Fastrackids programme when my boy was in N1.

Now he's attending english Speech n drama. think the fees is $60. can't remember chinese speech n drama as only intend to sign up probably next year.

think that's all they offer according to what i know.
i don't think their cc is considered one of those premium centres... one of the private ones along mountbatten road.
 
Hi mummies, i stumble on this thread coz am looking for a cc for my son who is turning 18months in Dec, am also staying at Mountbatten side.

Can i ask - for MFS, what is the curiculum like for 18 months old? What do they do?

Any mummies can share experience for PCF? (the one on top of the hawker centre)

Many thanks
 
Hi all,
Din realise this thread is so active again.
happy.gif


Toking abt enrichment, the only academic enrichment for my elder is Chinese. The rest are more like CCA. :p
My gal is with Berries for 2+ yrs. She enjoys the class a lot although she din speak much chinese at hm..haha. Will consider sending younger boy by next yr.

Mesh,
Agreed wif u on the part that dun judge a CC by brand or forum. Really have to go down personally & see how the ctr runs.

For those who are looking for CC, other than looking at their curriculum, please look at the teachers quality, staff turn-around rate, class size & hygience etc. They play a lot of part too! Happy teacher will produce happy student.
 
hi mummies.... any recommendation for nanny around old airport/Dakota/marine parade. I will be due in end dec.

I am staying near kampong arang.

thanks thanks
 
Hi

I am looking for Mandarin enrichment classes for my 4 yr girl. I heard there are Yuquan (CC & enrichment) and Berries in the area. I have popped by Berries previously & they said their curriculum follows Kong Hwa's standard (with Higher Chinese). I haven't checked out Yuquan yet. Wonder which is better, we are generally English speaking but is trying to speak more Mandarin with my girl at home. Has anyone tried Yuquan/Berries Mandarin enrichment classes or done some comparisons with Yuquan & Berries?
 
Btw for the info of mummies who are interested to enrol their kids at Chen Li. My girl is currently in N2 at Chen Li and will move to K1 next year. Their K1/K2 will be extended hours at 8.30-1.30pm to help the kids transition into pri school. I like the extended hours cos my girl will have lesser TV time at home. But whether she will benefit from the extended programme I can only know next year.

Their fees are pretty reasonable but I guess what you pay is what you get. I feel I still need to send my girl for enrichment clases as her language progress is rather slow.
 
hi cheeri

i sent my gal (5yrs) to tien hsia at parkway centre for enrichment so cant comment on berries & yuquan. i didnt know berries follow kong hwa's standard, i didnt chose berries last time was their timing dont suits me & yuquan only hv enrichment for K1 onwards. my gal started tien hsia when she's in N2.

last time i also did consider chen li but they only hv afternoon slots which i'm not keen. personally i think their extended hours is good.
 
Cheeri,
My gal is in Berries since N2 & she enjoys her lesson very much. Can't comment on Yuquan but I would strongly encourage u to go for a trial before u commit. Every child is different.
happy.gif
 
Hi Jamie/cat_tail,

I brought my girl to Yuquan for a free trial on their new enrichment class-Recognition of Chinese phrases.
I was surprised there were only 2 kids (including mine). They claimed that it's a new class so not many students. My girl can't tell me what she actually did in the class but when I asked her whether wanna come back, she said ok. The teacher is young but quite attentive.
I am just concerned about their curriculum as they emphasized on recognising "Cheng Yu". Berries seem to be more all rounded which cover high frequency words, writing,etc. Probably I should go for a trial at Berries to have a better idea.
 
hi cheeri,
Jus to share, I jus started my gal (3 yrs old) to Berri Mandarin Enrichment class. So far she has attended 4 session, and i think it does have some impact on her. Cos before she goes thr, she dun speak mandarin at all, she will jus listen and replied in English. Now on & on, she will speak mandarin (few words to simple sentence) to us. And when we speak Mandarin to her now, she can converse back to us. I have not tried Yuquan nor done research on it personally as I scare it is too ex... (cos their CC is already very ex)..I enrolled her after 2 session.. so now wait till this term ends in Dec then see how again..So if any mummy hv tried Yuquan, pls share ur experience too..ya.. and not forget the cost..
 
Hi Karen,

thanks for sharing your experience with Berries. If I remember correctly, Yuquan's fees are rather similar to Berries, but the only drawback is you need to pay for 6 months (approx $700+). Maybe that's the minimum period to see any results?

I think kids adapt to different environment very well, if we put them in a Mandarin speaking environment, they will follow the language. After the trial class at Yuquan, my girl spoke to me in Mandarin on our journey home (tho mixed with some English in her sentences) which I find rather amusing.
 
Hi Mummies of Pine Close

I have some milk powder samples to be given away for free, they are :-
Isomil 3 (1 yr onwards) - 3 satchets expiring in Nov'11
Similac 2 (6mths onwards) - 1 small tin expiring in Dec'11

Let me know if you are interested, probably can pass to you at the playground near to Blk 5/7.
 
Hi,

I have 1 for 1 set lunch ($19.95) - 6 coupons & 1 for 1 set dinner ($23.95) - 5 coupons @ Toby's parkway parade that I had bought sometimes back but only have time to go once, to let go. U only need to present the coupon to enjoy for the promotion. Appreciate a dollar as a token.

Please PM me if interested. We can meet @ the playground near blk 5/7. Thanks.

Expire 31st October 2011. Valid from Mon to Sun (1130am to 10pm) except eve of PH & PH.
 
Mummies,

I have 6 sets of the young talent child care uniforms to give away:
4 sets boys size 24
2 sets girls size 24

They have been worn for about 11 months only..
I think still quite new.

appreciate a token sum of $1 per set only. pls pm me if you want.
 
any mummies going overseas for holidays? pl share here.... want to go somewhere but no ideas where.... should be child friendly of course.
 


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